OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

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skons
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OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by skons »

Multiple times OTGW has switched back from the manual set temperature to a lower temperature with the thermostat. This has yet only occurred only in the morning and switching to a lower temperature happens between 9 and 15 seconds after raising the temperature. When I set the temperature again it is honoured. I have got a iSense v28 thermostat. Does anybody know if this is a bug or should i configure something?

OTGW PIC Firmware Version 6.0
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hvxl
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by hvxl »

Please collect a log with OTmonitor of such an occurrence. I realize that may be difficult, but it's nearly impossible to tell what happens without it.

Make sure that the OTGW reports all messages when you collect the log (PS=0).
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skons
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by skons »

Could you guide me on how to do this properly? When i look here: https://otgw.tclcode.com/otmonitor.html#log i cannot find PS=0...
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by hvxl »

PS=0 is a command. It exits summary mode, if that was active. Certain home automation systems (like Domoticz) use summary mode. But that is useless when creating a log, because it stops reporting the messages. If you see the hexadecimal message reports every second or more frequently, then you are not using summary mode. Then just go to Options -> Logging. Make sure under "Logfile" a valid directory and a name pattern are specified. Then tick the box in front of Logfile. Preferably the two boxes at the top ("Include details of bit fields" and "Include message ID") are not ticked.

As a name pattern, I like to use "otlog-%Y%m%d.txt", which will create a new file every day. But if you prefer, you can just put an actual filename there.

Once the problem happens again, you can copy the log file and trim it down to a few minutes before and after the interesting part. Then gzip or zip it and attach it to a response you post here. It is especially important to be able to see what happens leading up to the problem. So make sure you include at least 2-5 minutes of logs before the time the temperature is raised.
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skons
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by skons »

Here you go. It is a snippet, it has been running since yesterday but i am guessing that is a bit much. If you need more, please let me know.
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hvxl
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by hvxl »

It seems what happens is an unfortunate interaction between 3 sources for the room setpoint: Remote override, thermostat schedule and manual input.

At the start of the log, a remote override setpoint of 13.5°C is in effect. At 07:08, the setpoint is (probably) manually raised to 18.5°C. the OTGW detects the setpoint change and cancels the remote override. Apparently, the iSense interprets that as a request to resume the thermostat schedule. It looks like the schedule calls for 15°C at that time of the day. So that's the setting you end up with until you manually intervene again.

I already found out years ago that the iSense has a very quirky way of dealing with a remote setpoint override. But this quirk is new to me. The known quirk is that the iSense only initially looks at the requested temperature in a remote setpoint override response. Once set, the override setpoint remains the same until a setpoint of 0 is returned. Any other values are ignored. For this reason, the OTGW must already first release the override setpoint before setting a new one, if it detects that the thermostat is an iSense. This can also give some unwanted side effects. On a Honeywell thermostat, for example, the remote override setpoint can simply be changed.

So, at the moment the room setpoint changes from the one requested by the OTGW, the OTGW only has two options when the thermostat is an iSense: Release the remote override setpoint, or continue sending it, even though it is no longer effective. Given your observations, you would probably prefer the first option when the setpoint changes due to the schedule, and the second one when it is changed manually. Unfortunately, it is impossible for the OTGW to distinguish the two situations.

Currently, the OTGW always releases the remote override setpoint when the setpoint changes. With a firmware change, it could continue to send the remote override setpoint. But that would mean that the OTGW always first has to release the old setpoint when you issue a TT or TC command, with the undesired side effect mentioned above. It also complicates the firmware with more iSense-specific exceptions.

It will be easier if you can change the way you control your thermostat with the quirks of the iSense in mind. I don't know the reason why you use a remote setpoint override at night. Maybe you have a big red button you push when you go to bed. That button then triggers some action in your home automation system that switches off all lights and sets the thermostat to 13.5°C. In that case I would suggest to add some condition to skip that if the setpoint is already at the scheduled night temperature. If not, make sure to use a TT command, so the override will be cancelled when the schedule goes to the night temperature. Alternatively, you could cancel the remote override setpoint early in the morning (05:00 or so). The thermostat will then resume its schedule, which should call for your desired night temperature at that time. In both cases, no override will be in effect at 07:00. So if you then manually adjust the temperature, it will not automatically be changed again a few seconds later.
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skons
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by skons »

Ah right that makes sence :lol: . I do not use the schedule of the iSence, only the manual override (not even with my home automation right now), i will take a look in how i can best solve this issue on my side. I will let you know what it will be.
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by hvxl »

As I said, I haven't seen this quirk before. It may be the newer iSense firmware (the iSense I borrowed for testing was v19, if memory serves). It could also be that the behavior differs when using TT versus TC. That's something you could check.
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skons
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by skons »

The iSense thermostat has multiple programs and I was running the continues night program (which is 15.0c). When I change the thermostat manually in the morning, the thermostat switches to the schedule instead of honoring the remote override (what you explained). This only seem to happen when the remote override is used the first time outside of the program that is running (I think). When the temperature is raised later that day, then the temperature is not switched back to the schedule.

Yesterday I switched to the continues day program and this morning, when I had set the remote override again around 7:00, there was no such thing as switching to the temperature of the schedule. This switching happened in the evening though. Therefore I think it only happens when the remote override is used outside of the schedule.

When I use Home Assistant to set the remote override outside the schedule, iSense does not switch to the continues program that is running. But when I use the remote override of the thermostat outside of the schedule, it switches to the scheduled temperature. I use the ESP module on OTGW. Due to that this only happens when I use the manual remote override (and not with Home Assistant), I do not see how I can use the TT or TC command.

Also, I want to try to see what happens if the thermostat is set to the Frost Temp program. This one seems to be not bound by time, only by temperature and with that, it probably will not switch (or maybe once per restart of the thermostat). I use the manual override because the thermostat is managed manually and I will only use automations to set the temperature to stop heating in time in the evening or stop heating when nobody is home.
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by hvxl »

That may explain why I didn't see it in the tests I did with an iSense years ago. I'm pretty sure I had a time schedule programmed into the thermostat.

Based on this information, I think you can avoid the issue by setting the thermostat to the continuous night program. In the evening, you can have Home Assistant lower the temperature to 13.5°C. Then at some point during the night, let Home Assistant resume the schedule. I don't know Home Assistant, but I assume it has a way to do that. That way, the remote setpoint override will not be active in the morning, and you can manually change the thermostat throughout the day without it jumping back to 15°C.
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skons
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Re: OTGW switches back within 15 seconds

Post by skons »

Yeah that would be best. I have tried the frost protection schedule, but that one also get switched to in the morning when I manually override the temperature. My solution now is to switch back to the program with TT=0 when the night starts, it is also possible on the thermostat to select continue program with a single button. This way I am not completely depending on Home Assistant to continue the schedule.

As for Home Assistant, for OTGW it is really nothing more then a fancy interface for the MQTT interface created by rvdbreemen. At night it will do MQTT like this for me
Topic:

Code: Select all

OTGW/set/otgw-1234567890AB/command
Value:

Code: Select all

TT=0
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